In-flight entertainment system that identifies seat locations of video display units and personal electronic devices

ABSTRACT

An entertainment system includes radio access nodes (RANs) spaced apart from each other and a location measurement node. The location measurement node includes a memory and at least one processor. The memory contains a seat layout map identifying an arrangement of seats and locations of the RANs relative to the seats. The processor measures distances between the RANs and a transceiver device located at a seat among the seats arranged according to a seat layout map residing in memory, and retrieves from the seat layout map, the locations of the RANs relative to the seats. The processor identifies one of the seats within the seat layout map where the transceiver device is located based on comparison of the measured distances and the retrieved locations of the RANs relative to the seats, and stores in the memory an identifier for the transceiver device associated with an identifier for the seat.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to entertainment systems and, moreparticularly, in-flight entertainment systems.

BACKGROUND

In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems are deployed onboard aircraft toprovide entertainment services for passengers in a passenger cabin. TheIFE systems typically provide passengers with television and audiomultimedia entertainment programming.

One type of IFE system is a “server centric” architecture wheremultimedia content is located on a server or a set of servers installedin an electronic bay somewhere in the airplane. Video content is playedthrough displays installed at overhead locations or within seatbacks,and associated audio content is played through jacks provided in seatarmrests.

Another type of IFE system is a “seat centric” architecture wherecontent is stored in mass data storage devices located at individualseats and played through associated seat displays. The server (or set ofservers) acts as an injection point for content that will be laterinstalled locally into the seat mass data storage devices, and also actsas a secondary source for content that may not fit in the seat mass datastorage devices.

Cabin crew (e.g., flight attendants) can operate control terminals tocontrol the IFE entertainment system. The control terminals can includecomputer monitors and optional peripherals installed at spaced apartlocations within the cabin that are accessible to the cabin crew duringflight operations.

There has also been an emergence of wireless systems providingconnectivity to passenger personal electronic devices (PEDs), such asInternet access, as well as limited streaming entertainment, such asmovies. These systems typically require less installation effort and arelimited to using servers installed in electronic bays somewhere in theairplane that stream content and communication control commands throughwireless access points installed at spaced apart locations in overheadcompartments of the airplane.

IFE installations can use substantial aircraft resources, such asequipment bay space, electrical power, weight, and cost. Each of theseat devices of an IFE system are typically networked through lengthy,heavy, and costly data network cabling to one or more servers tocommunicate commands and receive content.

Because of these components and network cabling, each IFE system iscustomized to each particular aircraft seat layout, referred to as aLayout of Passenger Accommodations (LOPA). Differences in architecturesand layouts of IFE systems between aircraft necessitates separate andindependent setup configuration and testing by IFE vendors andcustomers.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to anentertainment system that includes a plurality of radio access nodes anda location measurement node. The radio access nodes are spaced apartfrom each other. The location measurement node includes a memory and atleast one processor. The memory contains a seat layout map identifyingan arrangement of a plurality of seats and locations of the radio accessnodes relative to the seats. At least one processor is configured tomeasure distances between the radio access nodes and a transceiverdevice located at a seat among the plurality of seats arranged accordingto a seat layout map residing in memory, and retrieve from the seatlayout map the locations of the radio access nodes relative to theseats. The at least one processor is further configured to identify oneof the seats within the seat layout map where the transceiver device islocated based on comparison of the measured distances and the retrievedlocations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats, and store inthe memory an identifier for the transceiver device associated with anidentifier for the identified one of the seats.

Other systems, apparatus, and methods according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in theart upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. Itis intended that all such additional systems, apparatus, and methods beincluded within this description and be protected by the accompanyingclaims. Moreover, it is intended that all embodiments disclosed hereincan be implemented separately or combined in any way and/or combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiment(s)of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an IFE system that includes a seat locationmeasurement node that uses radio access nodes spaced apart within thecabin to identify seats where transceiver devices are located, and whichoperates according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates further elements of the seat location measurementnode and other components of the IFE system for identifying anddisplaying locations of the transceiver devices among the seats inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIGS. 3-6 are flowcharts of operations and methods that may be performedby the seat location measurement node of FIGS. 1 and 2 in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a seat location verification message interfacedisplayed on a seat video display unit at one of the seats to confirmcorrectness of the identified seat location in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of operations and methods that may be performed bythe seat location measurement node of FIGS. 1 and 2 to confirmcorrectness of the identified seat location in accordance with someembodiments; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the seat location measurement nodeconfigured according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuitshave not been described in detail so as not to obscure the presentinvention.

Although various embodiments are explained herein in the context ofentertainment systems for an In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) environmentof an aircraft, other embodiments of the entertainment systems are notlimited thereto and may be used in other types of vehicles, includingships, buses, and trains, and for non-vehicle installations forconference rooms, classrooms, buildings, etc.

FIG. 1 illustrates an IFE system that includes radio access nodes 110 a,110 b, 110 c, and 110 d that are deployed (mounted) at spaced apartlocations within an aircraft fuselage 100 to provide correspondingwireless communication service areas to seat video display units (VDUs)130 and personal electronic devices (PEDs) 140. The seat VDUs 130 mayinclude displays that are mounted to seatbacks and/or mounted to traytables that are deployable from armrests. The PEDs 140 may correspond toany personal electronic device having wireless communicationscapabilities that can be carried by a passenger onto an aircraft,including, without limitation, tablet computers, laptop computers,palmtop computers, cellular smart phones, media players, etc.

The seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140 can be used by passengers for IFEservices in which video and other content is wirelessly communicatedfrom an IFE content server 126 under control of an IFE controller 124through various ones of the radio access nodes 110 a-d. Passengers mayalso be provided in-flight shopping services through the seat VDUs 130and the PEDs 140 based on product catalogs that are downloaded from theIFE content server 126. Passengers may order products and/or servicesthrough the seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140 for delivery by the crewduring the flight, with the passenger orders being wirelesslycommunicated through various ones of the radio access nodes 110 a-d anddisplayed on a crew notification terminal 122. The seat VDUs 130 and thePEDs 140 may also be used to communicate with the aircraft crew throughthe crew notification terminal 122, allowing passengers to make mealrequests, drink requests, and other requests. The seat VDUs 130 and thePEDs 140 may also be used for passenger to passenger communications,such as allowing a passenger to text message another passenger usingtheir seat identifier. The crew notification terminal 122 may be amobile terminal, such as a tablet computer, or non-mobile terminalmounted to a bulkhead or other fixture of the aircraft.

It is therefore important for the crew to be able to identify thelocations of the seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140 with respect to a seatlayout, such as being able to identify a row and seat number for a seatVDU or a PED from which a passenger request was received. For example itwould be advantageous for the crew to be presented with both a passengerrequest and an identifier for the seat (e.g., row and seat number) wherethe seat VDU or the PED from which the request was received. The requestand identified seat may be displayed on the crew notification terminal122.

However, identifying the seat location of a seat VDU or PED iscomplicated by the variability in the number of rows and columns ofpassenger seats and the number of seats within particular rows betweenaircraft of the same model. The seat layout is configured to optimizeprofitability while accommodating expected demands for the number ofpassengers and room allocated to each passenger for differing flightroutes and/or times of year. This is further complicated when attemptingto identify the locations of the PEDs 140 which are typically carriedonto the aircraft by the passengers and, therefore, reside wherever thepassengers are assigned or otherwise choose to sit.

Various present embodiments are directed to automatically determiningthe seat locations of seat VDUs 130, PEDs 140, and/or other transceiverdevices operable by passengers (e.g., a crew request button located ateach seat). A seat location measurement node 120 is configured todetermine the seat location of a transceiver device, examples of whichare referred to as in a non-limiting manner as one of the seat VDUs 130or as one of the PEDs 140. Although the seat location measurement node120 is illustrated as being separate from the radio access nodes 110 a,110 b, 110 c, and 110 d, some or all of the operations described hereinas being performed by the seat location measurement node 120 may insteadbe performed by one or more of the radio access nodes 110 a, 110 b, 110c, and 110 d.

FIG. 2 illustrates further elements of the seat location measurementnode 120 and other components of the IFE system for identifying anddisplaying locations of the transceiver devices among the seats inaccordance with some embodiments. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of operationsand methods may be performed by the seat location measurement node 120to determine the seat location of a transceiver device.

The IFE content server 126 streams and/or downloads content through awired network 212 for wireless distribution by the radio access nodes110 to the seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140. In some other embodiments,the radio access nodes 110 may each contain mass memory that storescontent for distribution to the seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140. A radioaccess node 110 may, for example, stream and/or download content fromits internal mass memory and/or form the internal mass memory of otherones of the radio access nodes 110 to seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140serviced by the radio access node 110. Accordingly, functionalityprovided by the IFE content server 126 may be replaced or augmented byfunctionality of the radio access nodes 110. The seat locationmeasurement node 120 can be communicatively connected through thenetwork 212 to receive measurements by the radio access nodes 110 asexplained below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat location measurement node 120operates to identify the seat locations of transceiver devices, such asthe seat VDUs 130 and the PEDs 140, and to store in a memory identifiersfor the transceiver devices associated with an identifier for theidentified seats were they are located. In the particular example ofFIG. 3, operations are performed for determining the seat location of aPED 140 a which is located at seat location 6D among the seatsillustrated as conventionally arranged columns in rows and columns.These operations may be similarly used to identify the seat location ofa seat VDU 130.

The seat location measurement node 120 may contain or access a terminaland seat layout map 200 residing in a memory. Before determination ofwhere particular seat VDUs 130 and PEDs 140 are located, the terminaland seat layout map 200 contains an aircraft seat layout map 202 thatdefines how the seats are arranged within the aircraft, and which mayidentify the number of rows of seats, the number of columns of seats,and the number of seats within particular rows and columns. The terminaland seat layout map 200 may identify offset distances between the seats,may more particularly identify offset distances between particular seatswhen the offset differences differ along the fuselage. The terminal andseat layout map 200 also identifies locations of the radio access nodes110 a-d relative to the seats. For example, the terminal and seat layoutmap 200 may identify the distance between the radio access nodes 110 a-dand one or more defined reference points within the aircraft, such asidentifying the distance from particular ones of the radio access nodes110 a-d to one or more identified seats or identifying which seats arelocated closest to which of the radio access nodes 110 a-d.

The seat location measurement node 120 measures (block 300) distancesbetween a plurality of radio access nodes, such as two or more of theradio access nodes 110 a-d, and the PED 140 a located at one of theseats which is not yet identified among the seats arranged according tothe seat layout map 202. The seat location measurement node 120retrieves (block 302) from the seat layout map, locations of the radioaccess nodes relative to the seats, and identifies (block 304) one ofthe seats within the seat layout map where the PED 140 a is locatedbased on comparison of the measured distances and the retrievedlocations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats. The seatlocation measurement node 120 then stores (block 306) in a measuredtransceiver location map 204, an identifier for the PED 140 a associatedwith an identifier for the identified one of the seats.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the seat location measurement node 120measures (block 400) round-trip radio frequency (RF) signal propagationtimes between the radio access nodes and the PED 140 a, and determines(block 402) the distances between the radio access nodes and the PED 140a based on the round-trip RF signal propagation times.

The seat location measurement node 120 can then retrieve (block 404)locations of the radio access nodes within the seat layout map, andidentify (block 406) one of the seats (e.g., seat “6D”) within the seatlayout map based on comparison of the distances between the PED 140 a inthe radio access nodes and based on the locations of the radio accessnodes relative to the seats. The seat location measurement node 120 thenstores (block 410) an identifier of the PED 140 a in the measuredtransceiver location map 204 associated with an identifier (e.g., “6D”)for the identified seat.

When identifying (block 406) the seat where PED 140 a is located, theseat location measurement node 120 may identify (block 408) the mostlikely seat location based on comparison of the round-trip RF signalcommunication times of other PEDs 140 and the likely seat locationsthereof. For example, assuming that each passenger possesses a singlePED, the seat location measurement node 120 can attempt to resolve themappings of closely-spaced PEDs 140 to different seats by comparing thepotentially small differences between their round-trip RF signalcommunication times to identify the most likely seat location of each ofthe PEDs 140. User (e.g., crew) confirmation of correctness of one ofthe mappings may be used to shuffle other adjacent mappings. Thisapproach may be particularly advantageous when used to resolve mappingsof closely-spaced seat VDUs 130 where there is a one-to-one mapping ofeach seat VDU 132 to a different one of the seats.

The seat location measurement node 120 may operate to respond to thedetermination that at least two of the transceiver devices (e.g., PED140 a and another PED located at an adjacent seat “6E”) are within athreshold distance of a same one of the seats, by re-measuring distancesbetween the radio access nodes and each of the at least two transceiverdevices located within the threshold distance of the same one of theseats. For each of the at least two transceiver devices located withinthe threshold distance of the same one of the seats, the seat locationmeasurement node 120 can identify one of the seats within the seatlayout map where the transceiver device is located based on comparisonof the re-measured distances for the at least two transceiver deviceslocated within the threshold distance of the same one of the seats. Inthis manner, the seat location measurement node 120 may recursivelyperform measurements to improve the accuracy of the location matching oftransceiver devices to seats.

As an alternative to or in addition to using round-trip RF signalpropagation times, the seat location measurement node 120 may measuredistances between the radio access nodes and the PED 140 a based onangles for arrival of RF signals from the PED 140 a. In the embodimentof FIG. 5, the seat location measurement node 120 measures (block 500)angles of arrival at the radio access nodes of a RF signal transmittedby PED 140 a, and determines (block 502) the distances between the radioaccess nodes and the PED 140 a based on the angles of arrival at theradio access nodes of the RF signal.

A radio access node may include an array of spaced apart antennas, andoperate to measure the angle of arrival of a RF signal by measuring thetime of arrival of the RF signal at different ones of the spaced apartantennas to determine the angle of arrival of the RF signal to theantennas.

The seat location measurement node 120 can then retrieve (block 504)locations of the radio access nodes within the seat layout map, andidentify (block 506) one of the seats (e.g., seat “6D”) within the seatlayout map based on comparison of the distances between the PED 140 a inthe radio access nodes and based on the locations of the radio accessnodes relative to the seats. When identifying the seat where PED 140 ais located, the seat location measurement node 120 may identify the mostlikely seat location based on comparison of the angles of arrival of RFsignals transmitted by other PEDs 140 and the likely seat locationsthereof. For example, assuming that each passenger possesses a singlePED, the seat location measurement node 120 can attempt to resolve themappings of closely-spaced PEDs 140 to different seats by comparing thepotentially small differences between the angles of arrival of theirrespective RF signals at different ones of the radio access nodes toidentify the most likely seat location of each of the PEDs 140. Thisapproach may be particularly advantageous when used to resolve mappingsof closely-spaced seat VDUs 130 where there is a one-to-one mapping ofeach seat VDU 132 to a different one of the seats.

The seat location measurement node 120 then stores (block 508) anidentifier of the PED 140 a in the measured transceiver location map 204associated with an identifier (e.g., “6D”) for the identified seat.

As an alternative to or in addition to using round-trip RF signalpropagation times and/or angles of arrival, the seat locationmeasurement node 120 may measure received signal strengths at the radioaccess nodes of a RF signal transmitted by the PED 140 a. In theembodiment of FIG. 6, the seat location measurement node 120 measures(block 600) received signal strengths at the radio access nodes of a RFsignal transmitted by PED 140 a, and determines (block 602) thedistances between the radio access nodes and the PED 140 a based on thereceived signal strengths at the radio access nodes of the RF signal.

The seat location measurement node 120 can then retrieve (block 604)locations of the radio access nodes within the seat layout map, andidentify (block 606) one of the seats (e.g., seat “6D”) within the seatlayout map based on comparison of the distances between the PED 140 a inthe radio access nodes and based on the locations of the radio accessnodes relative to the seats. When identifying the seat where PED 140 ais located, the seat location measurement node 120 may identify the mostlikely seat location based on comparison of the angles of arrival of RFsignals transmitted by other PEDs 140 and the likely seat locationsthereof.

For example, assuming that each passenger possesses a single PED, theseat location measurement node 120 can attempt to resolve the mappingsof closely-spaced PEDs 140 to different seats by comparing thepotentially small differences between the received signal strengths oftheir respective RF signals at different ones of the radio access nodesto identify the most likely seat location of each of the PEDs 140. Thisapproach may be particularly advantageous when used to resolve mappingsof closely-spaced seat VDUs 130 where there is a one-to-one mapping ofeach seat VDU 132 to a different one of the seats.

The seat location measurement node 120 then stores (block 608) anidentifier of the PED 140 a in the measured transceiver location map 204associated with an identifier (e.g., “6D”) for the identified seat.

In some other embodiments, distances between the radio access nodes 110and a seat VDU 130 and/or a PED 140 are determined based on thegeographical coordinates. The radio access nodes 110, the seat VDU 130,and the PED 140 may each include GPS receivers configured to determinetheir respective geographic coordinates based on received GPS signals.The seat location measurement node 120 can receive from the seat VDU 130and/or the PED 140 geographical coordinates of the seat VDU 130 and/orthe PED 140 determined from GPS signals received by the seat VDU 130and/or the PED 140. The seat location measurement node 120 can receivefrom the radio access nodes 110 geographical coordinates of the radioaccess nodes 110 determined from GPS signals received by the radioaccess nodes 110. The seat location measurement node 120 can determinethe distances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver devicebased on the geographical coordinates.

Operations and methods of FIGS. 3-6 can be repeated to identify the seatlocations of other transceiver devices within the aircraft, and to storeidentifiers for the transceiver devices associated with identifiers forthe identified seats in the terminal and seat layout map 200, such as inthe measured transceiver location map 204.

The crew notification terminal 122 can use the terminal and seat layoutmap 200 to look up the seat location of a transceiver device from whicha notification message has been received. For example, the crewnotification terminal 122 or another component of the system may beconfigured to receive a notification message from a transceiver device,and responsively retrieve the identifier for the identified one of theseats from the memory based on the identifier for the transceiverdevice. The crew notification terminal 122 may display a schematic ofseats arranged according to the seat layout map and display indiciarepresenting the locations of the transceiver devices relative toparticular seats among the schematic of seats. The displayed schematicmay include seat icons arranged in rows and columns corresponding to thepresent aircraft seat configuration and further include indications ofthe row and seat numbers of the displayed seats. The schematic canfurther illustrate identifiers for locations of seat VDUs 130 and/orPEDs 140 from which notification messages (e.g., passenger requests)have been received.

The location measurement node 120 may perform a confirmation processthat includes having a crew member or other user confirm that themeasured locations of the transceiver devices correctly correspond tothe identified seats. FIG. 7 illustrates a seat location verificationmessage interface that can be displayed on a seat VDU 130 at one of theseats to confirm correctness of the identified seat location inaccordance with some embodiments. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of correspondingoperations and methods that may be performed by the seat locationmeasurement node 120 to confirm correctness of the identified seatlocation in accordance with some embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, an identifier for one of the seats (e.g.,seat “6A”) where a seat VDU 130 was measured as being located, can bedisplayed (block 800) on the seat VDU 130 associated with the identifiedone of the seats (e.g., seat “6A”). A user response is received (block802) indicating whether the displayed identifier is correct.

In the example of FIG. 7, the illustrated seat location verificationmessage interface 700 can be displayed on a selected one of the seatVDUs 130 that faces seat location “6A” for confirmation by a user thatthe measured location of the particular one of the seat VDUs 130 wascorrectly identified as being at seat location “6A”. An indicia 720 forseat location “6A” is displayed differently (e.g., filled-in) than theother displayed seat indicia, for seats within a threshold distance ofthe identified seat location “6A”, to indicate where the selected one ofthe seat VDUs 130 is believed to face. A user can touch-select adisplayed indicia 710 to confirm that the measured location of the seatVDU 130 is correct or incorrect. Additionally or alternatively, if thedisplayed location is incorrect, the user may touch select another oneof the seat indicia where the seat VDU 130 is facing to input theselected seat to the location measurement node 120.

Responsive to identifying (block 804) that the user has confirmedcorrectness, an identifier of the transceiver device can be stored(block 806) in the terminal and layout map 200 associated with anidentifier for the identified seat (e.g., “6A”). In contrast, responsiveto the user indicating that the displayed identifier is incorrect, thelocation measurement node 120 identifies (block 808) another one of theseats within the seat layout map where the transceiver device is locatedbased on comparison of the measured distances and the retrievedlocations of the radio access nodes within the seat layout map. Thelocation measurement node 120 then repeats the displaying (block 800),the receiving (block 802), and the re-identifying (block 808), such asuntil a user confirms (block 804) that the identified seat location iscorrect.

When the user touch selects or otherwise enters another one of the seatindicia where the seat VDU 130 is facing as an input responsive to theidentified seat location (block 804) being incorrect, the locationmeasurement node 120 stores an identifier of the transceiver device inthe terminal and layout map 200 associated with an identifier for theseat identified by the user (e.g., “6B”). The location measurement node120 may shuffle the identified seat locations of other transceiverdevices that are nearby the transceiver device based on the identifierof the seat where the transceiver device is located. For example, theselected seat locations displayed in seat location verification messages700 on seat VDUs 130 facing nearby seats “5A”, “5B”, “5C”, “6C”, “7A”,etc. may be modified (shuffled) based on information learned from theuser's confirmation feedback or correctness/incorrectness relating toseat “6A”.

Responsive to identifying (block 804) that the user has confirmedcorrectness, an identifier of the transceiver device can be stored(block 806) in the terminal and layout map 200 associated with anidentifier for the identified seat (e.g., “6A”). In contrast, responsiveto the user indicating that the displayed identifier is incorrect, thelocation measurement node 120 shuffles (block 808) identified seatlocations of other transceiver devices that are nearby the transceiverdevice based on the identifier of the seat where the transceiver deviceis located. The location measurement node 120 may then repeat thedisplaying (block 800) and the receiving (block 802), and there-identifying (block 808) until a user confirms (block 804) that theidentified seat location is correct.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a location measurement node 120 that isconfigured according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Thelocation measurement node 120 includes at least one processor 900(“processor”), at least one memory 910 (“memory”), and at last onenetwork interface 920 (“network interface”). The processor 900 mayinclude one or more data processing circuits, such as a general purposeand/or special purpose processor (e.g., microprocessor and/or digitalsignal processor) that may be collocated or distributed across one ormore networks. The processor 900 is configured to execute computerreadable program code in the memory 910, described below as anon-transitory computer readable medium, to perform some or all of theoperations and methods that are described herein for one or more of theembodiments.

The memory 910 can include seat location measure code 912 thatconfigures the processor 900 to perform the operations or more of moreof the embodiments disclosed herein for the location measurement node120. The memory 910 may further include information described herein forthe seat layout map 200. The network interface 920 can communicativelyconnect the location management node to the crew notification terminal122, the IFE controller 124, a separate memory in which the terminal andseat layout map may reside (e.g., when separate from the locationmeasurement node 120), and/or other components of the system.

Further Definitions and Embodiments

In the above-description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein isfor the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, allterms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have thesame meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the artto which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood thatterms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of this specification and the relevant art and will not beinterpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly sodefined herein.

When an element is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”,“responsive”, or variants thereof to another element, it can be directlyconnected, coupled, or responsive to the other element or interveningelements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to asbeing “directly connected”, “directly coupled”, “directly responsive”,or variants thereof to another element, there are no interveningelements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.Furthermore, “coupled”, “connected”, “responsive”, or variants thereofas used herein may include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described indetail for brevity and/or clarity. The term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “comprises”,“include”, “including”, “includes”, “have”, “has”, “having”, or variantsthereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features,integers, elements, steps, components or functions but does not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore,as used herein, the common abbreviation “e.g.”, which derives from theLatin phrase “exempli gratia,” may be used to introduce or specify ageneral example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is notintended to be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation “i.e.”,which derives from the Latin phrase “id est,” may be used to specify aparticular item from a more general recitation.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference to blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods,apparatus (systems and/or devices) and/or computer program products. Itis understood that a block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer programinstructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. Thesecomputer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit ofa general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit,and/or other programmable data processing circuit to produce a machine,such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of thecomputer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, transformand control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and otherhardware components within such circuitry to implement thefunctions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block orblocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and/or structure forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/orflowchart block(s).

These computer program instructions may also be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium that can direct a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/orflowchart block or blocks.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor data storagesystem, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of thecomputer-readable medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM) circuit, a read-onlymemory (ROM) circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory) circuit, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), and a portable digital video disc read-only memory(DVD/BlueRay).

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computerand/or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer and/or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions which execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied inhardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signalprocessor, which may collectively be referred to as “circuitry,” “amodule” or variants thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, thefunctions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted inthe flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in factbe executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowchartsand/or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and/or thefunctionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or blockdiagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks maybe added/inserted between the blocks that are illustrated. Moreover,although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, the present specification, including the drawings, shall beconstrued to constitute a complete written description of variousexample combinations and subcombinations of embodiments and of themanner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims toany such combination or subcombination.

Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments withoutsubstantially departing from the principles of the present invention.All such variations and modifications are intended to be included hereinwithin the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method by a seat location measurement computernode comprising: measuring distances between a plurality of radio accessnodes and a plurality of transceiver devices located at differentrespective ones of seats arranged according to a seat layout mapresiding in memory, based on measurements of radio frequency (RF)signals received by the radio access nodes from the transceiver devices;retrieving from the seat layout map, locations of the radio access nodesrelative to the seats; for each of the transceiver devices, identifyingone of the seats within the seat layout map where the transceiver deviceis located based on comparison of the measured distances between theradio access nodes and the transceiver device and the retrievedlocations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats, and furtherbased on comparison of the measured distances between the radio accessnodes and the other transceiver devices to identify which of the seatswithin the seat layout map is closest to the transceiver device; foreach of the transceiver devices, storing in the memory an identifier forthe transceiver device associated with an identifier for the identifiedone of the seats; receiving through a network interface a user requestmessage from one of the transceiver devices that is directed to anotification terminal, the user request message containing theidentifier for the transceiver; retrieving from the memory theidentifier for the one of the seats that is associated with theidentifier for the transceiver; and controlling the notificationterminal to display a passenger request notification with an indicationof the identifier for the one of the seats that is associated with theidentifier for the transceiver, which was retrieved from the memory. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the transceiver devices, themeasuring distances between the radio access nodes and the transceiverdevice based on measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals received bythe radio access nodes from the transceiver device, comprises: measuringround-trip radio frequency (RF) signal propagation times between theradio access nodes and the transceiver device; and determining thedistances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver devicebased on the round-trip RF signal propagation times.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein, for each of the transceiver devices, the measuringdistances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver devicebased on measurements of radio frequency (RF) signals received by theradio access nodes from the transceiver device, comprises: measuringangles of arrival at the radio access nodes of a radio frequency (RF)signal transmitted by the transceiver device; and determining thedistances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver devicebased on the angles of arrival at the radio access nodes of the RFsignal.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the transceiverdevices, the measuring distances between the radio access nodes and thetransceiver device based on measurements of radio frequency (RF) signalsreceived by the radio access nodes from the transceiver device,comprises: measuring received signal strengths at the radio access nodesof a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted by the transceiver device;and determining the distances between the radio access nodes and thetransceiver device based on the received signal strengths at the radioaccess nodes of the RF signal.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein, foreach of the transceiver devices, the measuring distances between theradio access nodes and the transceiver device based on measurements ofradio frequency (RF) signals received by the radio access nodes from thetransceiver device, further comprises: receiving from the transceiverdevice geographical coordinates of the transceiver device determinedfrom GPS signals received by the transceiver device; receiving from theradio access nodes geographical coordinates of the radio access nodesdetermined from GPS signals received by the radio access nodes; anddetermining the distances between the radio access nodes and thetransceiver device based on the geographical coordinates.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: responsive to determining that at leasttwo of the transceiver devices are within a threshold distance of a sameone of the seats, re-measuring distances between the radio access nodesand each of the at least two transceiver devices located within thethreshold distance of the same one of the seats, and for each of the atleast two transceiver devices located within the threshold distance ofthe same one of the seats, identifying one of the seats within the seatlayout map where the transceiver device is located based on comparisonof the re-measured distances for the at least two transceiver deviceslocated within the threshold distance of the same one of the seats. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each of the transceiverdevices: displaying the identifier for the identified one of the seatson a video display unit associated with the identified one of the seatsclosest to the transceiver device; receiving a user response indicatingwhether the displayed identifier is correct; and responsive to the userresponse indicating the displayed identifier is incorrect, identifyinganother one of the seats within the seat layout map where thetransceiver device is located based on comparison of the measureddistances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver device andthe retrieved locations of the radio access nodes-relative to the seatswithin the seat layout map, and further based on comparison of themeasured distances between the radio access nodes and the othertransceiver devices to identify which of the seats within the seatlayout map is next closest to the transceiver device, and repeating thedisplaying and the receiving a user response.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising, for each of the transceiver devices: displaying theidentifier for the identified one of the seats on a video display unitassociated with the identified one of the seats closest to thetransceiver device; receiving a user response indicating whether thedisplayed identifier is correct and, when incorrect, a user enteredidentifier of the seat where the transceiver device is located;responsive to the user response indicating the displayed identifier isincorrect, shuffling identified seat locations of other transceiverdevices that are nearby the transceiver device based on the identifierof the seat where the transceiver device is located; and storing in thememory the identifier for the transceiver device associated with theuser entered identifier of the seat.
 9. An entertainment systemcomprising: a plurality of radio access nodes spaced apart from eachother; and a location measurement computer node comprising: a memorycontaining a seat layout map identifying an arrangement of a pluralityof seats and locations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats;and at least one processor configured to: measure distances between theradio access nodes and a plurality of transceiver devices located atdifferent respective ones of seats arranged according to a seat layoutmap residing in the memory, based on measurements of radio frequency(RF) signals received by the radio access nodes from the transceiverdevices; retrieve from the seat layout map, the locations of the radioaccess nodes relative to the seats; for each of the transceiver devices,identify one of the seats within the seat layout map where thetransceiver device is located based on comparison of the measureddistances between the radio access nodes and the transceiver device andthe retrieved locations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats,and further based on comparison of the measured distances between theradio access nodes and the other transceiver devices to identify whichof the seats within the seat layout map is closest to the transceiverdevice; for each of the transceiver devices, store in the memory anidentifier for the transceiver device associated with an identifier forthe identified one of the seats; receive a user request message from oneof the transceiver devices that is directed to a notification terminal,the user request message containing the identifier for the transceiver;retrieve from the memory the identifier for the one of the seats that isassociated with the identifier for the transceiver; and control thenotification terminal to display a passenger request notification withan indication of the identifier for the one of the seats that isassociated with the identifier for the transceiver, which was retrievedfrom the memory.
 10. The entertainment system of claim 9, furthercomprising the notification terminal configured to display a schematicof seats arranged according to the seat layout map and to respond toreceipt of the user request message containing the identifier of theidentified one of the seats by displaying an indicia representing thelocation of the transceiver device relative to the identified one of theseats among the schematic of seats.
 11. The entertainment system ofclaim 9, wherein: the transceiver device comprises a seatback videodisplay unit attached to one of the seats; and the at least oneprocessor of the location measurement node identifies one of the seatswithin the seat layout map that faces the seat to which the seatbackvideo display unit is attached, based on the comparison of the measureddistances between the radio access nodes and the seatback video displayand the retrieved locations of the radio access nodes relative to theseats, and further based on comparison of the measured distances betweenthe radio access nodes and the other transceiver devices to identifywhich of the seats within the seat layout map is closest to the seatbackvideo display.
 12. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein: thetransceiver device comprises a personal electronic device of a user whois seated at one of the seats; and the at least one processor of thelocation measurement node identifies one of the seats within the seatlayout map on which the user is seated while possessing the personalelectronic device, based on the comparison of the measured distancesbetween the radio access nodes and the personal electronic device andthe retrieved locations of the radio access nodes relative to the seats,and further based on comparison of the measured distances between theradio access nodes and the other transceiver devices to identify whichof the seats within the seat layout map is closest to the personalelectronic device.
 13. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein: theradio access nodes are mounted at spaced apart locations within anaircraft fuselage to provide entertainment services to passengersthrough a plurality of the transceiver devices.
 14. The entertainmentsystem of claim 9, wherein: for each of the transceiver devices, the atleast one processor of the location measurement node measures round-tripradio frequency (RF) signal propagation times between the radio accessnodes and the transceiver device, and determines the distances betweenthe radio access nodes and the transceiver device based on theround-trip RF signal propagation times.
 15. The entertainment system ofclaim 9, wherein: for each of the transceiver devices, the at least oneprocessor of the location measurement node measures angles of arrival atthe radio access nodes of a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted bythe transceiver device, and determines the distances between the radioaccess nodes and the transceiver device based on the angles of arrivalat the radio access nodes of the RF signal.
 16. The entertainment systemof claim 9, wherein: for each of the transceiver devices, the at leastone processor of the location measurement node measures received signalstrengths at the radio access nodes of a radio frequency (RF) signaltransmitted by the transceiver device, and determines the distancesbetween the radio access nodes and the transceiver device based on thereceived signal strengths at the radio access nodes of the RF signal.17. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein, for each of thetransceiver devices, the at least one processor of the locationmeasurement node is configured to: responsive to determining that atleast two of the transceiver devices are within a threshold distance ofa same one of the seats, re-measure distances between the radio accessnodes and each of the at least two transceiver devices located withinthe threshold distance of the same one of the seats, and for each of theat least two transceiver devices located within the threshold distanceof the same one of the seats, identify one of the seats within the seatlayout map where the transceiver device is located based on comparisonof the re-measured distances for the at least two transceiver deviceslocated within the threshold distance of the same one of the seats. 18.The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processorof the location measurement node is configured to: display theidentifier for the identified one of the seats on a video display unitassociated with the identified one of the seats; receive a user responseindicating whether the displayed identifier is correct; and responsiveto the user responsive indicating the displayed identifier is incorrect,identify another one of the seats within the seat layout map where thetransceiver device is located based on comparison of the measureddistances and the retrieved locations of the radio access nodes withinthe seat layout map, and repeating the displaying and the receiving auser response.
 19. The entertainment system of claim 9, wherein the atleast one processor of the location measurement node is configured to:display the identifier for the identified one of the seats on a videodisplay unit associated with the identified one of the seats; receive auser response indicating whether the displayed identifier is correctand, when incorrect, a user entered identifier of the seat where thetransceiver device is located; responsive to the user responsiveindicating the displayed identifier is incorrect, shuffle identifiedseat locations of other transceiver devices that are nearby thetransceiver device based on the identifier of the seat where thetransceiver device is located; and store in the memory the identifierfor the transceiver device associated with the user entered identifierof the seat.